Human 76: Fragments of a Fractured World - a post-apocalyptic anthology #Human76

“Quiet, you fool! You’re safe now!” Rough hands gripped Ghabrie. A kestrel swooped but Ghabrie could not hear its call. She could hear only Nahria’s shriek. Ghabrie strained to glimpse her little sister through the mass of rebellion warriors and Prometheans. The two sides were withdrawing, both claiming their spoils and retreating. Ghabrie thrashed: kicking, biting, struggling against strong arms that restrained her. “Nahria, I’ll come for you!” The butt of a rifle thumped the side of her head as her words still echoed across the barren landscape. Ghabrie slipped into an oblivion brought by the hands of her liberators. Fourteen authors take you on an unprecedented post-apocalyptic journey.

It's here! The post-apocalyptic anthology written by fourteen authors, including me, is available for purchase. While each story is separate, they all connect in some way and are all a part of the same world. I've read the stories by the other authors and I can assure you that you will love the stories within this anthology.

My story is called "The Oasis" and is about a young girl, born after the Blast, named Mags who has some special abilities.

The book is free in e-book form for a limited time, so grab your copy soon!

And the really special thing abut the book is that proceeds from sales of the book will be put towards the Water is Life charity, a global charity that provides clean drinking water, sanitation and hygiene education programs to schools and villages in desperate need worldwide. Our book is about those displaced and struggling to survive in a dangerous world and this charity fits perfectly with our stories. So when you buy the book you will be helping those in need.

Here are some links to check out:

Go here for the paperback.

Go here for the e-book.

Go here to find out how the idea for this anthology came about.

Go here for more information about how the e-book was put together.

Go here to follow the Human 76 Facebook page.

And go here to find out more about the Water is Life charity.

Fae World anthology series - SUBMISSIONS CALL

This is not one of the official Blog Your Book in 30 Days posts. But as the previous post here was about creating videos, I thought I'd share one I just made for Melusine Muse Press' submission call for the Fae World anthology series.

You can find out more about the Fae World anthology series here.

This video was created using Microsoft's MovieMaker software. If you have a Windows computer and this software isn't pre-installed on it, it can currently be downloaded for free. (I am still learning how to use the software properly as it is new to me.)

Difference Between "Anthology," "Collection" and "Omnibus" #BYBin30

The difference between the terms "anthology," "collection" and "omnibus"

ANTHOLOGY (noun) : a book or other collection of selected writings by various writers usually in the same literary form, of the same period, or on the same subject. e.g. a book of poetry by various poets or a book of several short stories all written by different authors.

Now, when you publish and anthology of short stories or poems by various authors, it is acceptable to use the term "collection" in the title rather than "anthology," but the book should be categorized as an anthology. An anthology is a collection, but a collection is not always an anthology.

COLLECTION (noun) : a book of selected writings from various books or a selection of short stories or poems by one author of the same theme or various themes. e.g. a book of short Christmas stories all written by the same author.

Although it is done frequently. using the term "anthology" in a title for a collection of stories or poems from ONE author, is actually not supposed to be done. The title (if it includes such information) should use the term "collection" to describe the contents of the book.

OMNIBUS (noun) : a volume of reprinted works of a single author or of works related in interest or theme. An omnibus contains several complete books by one author.
e.g. a book of supernatural stories by Terry Pratchett. A complete content of each book is used.

It is rare to see an omnibus with anything other than omnibus in the title, which is as it should be.

The Power of the Short Story Format #BYBin30

Last year, I wrote thirty short mermaid-themed stories for the Blog Your Book in 30 Days challenge. This year, I am writing short fairy tales and paranormal-themed stories for the challenge. I have had many short stories and flash fiction published in a variety of different anthologies. I think it is safe to say that I enjoy writing short stories. Writing short stories allows me to test out characters and possible story-lines ahead of time and see how others respond to them. It allows me to flex my creative muscles in new ways with each short story I write. So I thought it might be useful for me to share a little bit about the history of short stories, current trends in the short story market and how writing short stories can be an excellent marketing tool.

Years ago, before we had a written language, stories were told verbally. The stories told served many purposes, from preserving a group of people's history, culture and beliefs to ways of explaining things that had no explanation in those days. Stories helped people to be less afraid of the unknown by creating stories around things to explain how they came to be. The oral stories served as lessons to the younger generations.

Short stories and poetry was often interconnected, as many of the writers in the days of Old English and Medieval English told their stories in rhyme or in the metered and measured way of poems. In medieval times, bards often sang their stories.



Short stories were a popular from of storytelling from the 1400s onwards, but, in the late 1900s, the growth of print magazines and journals created a stronger demand for short fiction. As time went on, longer length novels became the new normal and began to take over the market. It wasn't until the emergence of the e-book market that the short story would take on new life. Shorter attention spans, busier lives and the popularity of mobile devices spawned more demand for stories in their shorter forms.

This new demand for short stories has given them a new value in the marketplace. Authors are producing short story collection and multi-author anthologies of short stories. Short stories are being sold on their own as e-book purchases, and e-book covers are made for them just as they are made for longer novels. People are buying books as "serials," only getting a small portion of the story sent to them at a time and paying for each installment.

Searching the Amazon e-book marketplace today under the search term "short stories and anthologies" pulled up 50,916 anthologies and 133,207 short stories. Many of the books listed under "short stories" are collections of short stories.

If you don't want your short stories published in a collection of your own, there are many paying markets for your short stories, from other anthologies to magazines and even short story competitions.

If you do publish your short story in an anthology that doesn't pay (or offer your short story for free on Amazon and other sites like it), you might wonder what benefit you will get from doing so. Some authors may tell you never to give away a story just for "exposure." They maintain that the value of exposure is not enough to make it worthwhile, but I am suggesting otherwise. Short stories do not take as long to write as novels. Short stories also do not take as long to read as novels. A reader might be more willing to try a short story from a new author than a full-length novel. And if readers like your story, they will look for longer works by you.

In some recent anthologies in which some of my stories appeared, I found that I gained some new fans. These fans read my short stories and then tracked me down on social media to see if I had any other offerings, some of them even suggesting which of my short stories would make a great subject for a longer book. By publishing my short stories, not only am I gaining some readers who are now looking for more work written by me, but if I continue some of the stories they seem to like best, or write my novels in the same genre as those short stories, I may be able to turn these fans into lifelong fans. And those are the kinds of fans who help build a reputation, and that is one of the ways authors can find themselves becoming best-selling authors.